HCM Processes and Forms: How to Use Floor Plan Manager Effectively

by Rudolph Blanco, Second-Level Resource Consultant, HR Focal Point

August 13, 2015

Learn how to create an HCM Processes and Forms Floor Plan Manager (FPM) form to add multiple employees on one form using a list-type layout. As an example application, the form can be used by managers to nominate several employees for a team award by using a search function to find employees (nominees for an award) and add them to the list.

Learning Objectives

Reading this article, you will learn how to:

Set up requirements specifically for starting a process without a start object

Use the Floor Plan Manager list form type to add multiple employees to one form

Create a Web Dynpro component to search and select (add) employees to the form list

Key Concept

The Design Time Tool for SAP HCM Processes and Forms (transaction code HRASR_DT) is used to create processes and their related objects (e.g., workflow templates, form scenarios, and forms), and make the required settings for them.

The SAP HCM Processes and Forms framework previously used the Adobe Interactive Forms solution integrated with Web Dynpro ABAP for its user interface (UI). A new UI based on the Floor Plan Manager (FPM) framework has been created as an alternative to Adobe Interactive Forms. This new option removes the licensing requirements for Adobe Interactive Forms, thus providing a cost savings.

Using the FPM to develop HCM Processes and Forms is more cost-effective than using the Adobe Interactive Forms solution. In addition, as I explain, the FPM provides you with the flexibility to meet complex business demands. I present a real-life scenario (of selecting multiple employees on one form) that my company, HR Focal Point, developed for a client that currently uses Adobe Interactive Forms. As demonstrated here, this scenario can be easily ported to the FPM UI.

Note
A minimum of SAP ERP Central Component (ECC) 6.0 with enhancement
package 6 and HR Renewal 1.0 Feature Pack 2 is required, along with the
activation of business function HCM_ASR_CI_5. However, to fully leverage
the new FPM forms and expand on my example, enhancement package 7 and
HR Renewal 2.0 with the latest feature pack is recommended by SAP. A
developer’s key is required for the ABAP code.

The standard HCM Processes and Forms scenario assumes that an employee is selected first, the process or form is selected, and then the process or form can be edited. It is possible to start a process without first selecting an employee (see Chris Solomon’s blog for more details: HCM Processes and Forms: Select an employee? What if I don’t want too? Awwww just skip it!). It is also possible to create a process that can be configured as a mass process (read this SAP help document for more details: Starting a Mass Process). The mass process allows multiple (same) processes to be started for the employees at the same time. All the processes, however, must have the same effective date and the proposed master data change must be the same for all of the selected employees.

I explain how to develop a form that does not require an employee to first be selected to start the form and does not create multiple processes. This new form simplifies how the manager can select multiple employees and submit them for approval or processing, without generating multiple processes for approval.

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Rudolph Blanco

Rudolph (Rudy) Blanco is a Second-Level Resource Consultant with HR Focal Point. He is an SAP-Certified Professional who previously worked as an SAP consultant at Accenture and a Platinum Consultant at SAP America. Rudy has been working with SAP applications since 1997. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Houston.